Baghdad Tough Turf For Military

New York Daily News ^ | August 25, 2002 | Richard Sisk

[Bill Davis FR]

sherman's march through georgia is a good case study...look at his easy romp of atlanta...then again it took the army of the potomac five years to clear out richmond...there must be some lessons somewhere...

[johnny7]

There ain't going to be no house-to-house fighting for Bagdad.

Once the Republican Guard is snuffed, Bagdad will be declared an “open city”, much like Manilla in 1942.

We're not dealing with fanatical nazis devoted to Hitler.

Sadam will flee to Iran or Jordan and we'll see what he was building.

[tm22721]

The problem with this plan (as proved in Somalia) is that US troops get bogged down in protecting their casualties, as opposed to taking out the enemy at all costs.

That is why Bush hesitates. The thought of another Mogadishu is sobering.

BUMP

[Straight Vermonter]

Does the word siege ring any bells?

I was thinking the same thing. If we seize the oil fields and surround Baghdad who cares if Saddam stays in there?

[SevenDaysInMay]

Desert Storm provided the last truly stupid opposition for the US military. The current non-governmental organization, NGO, system of offensive operations offers plausible deniabilty for enemy nation states as we are attacked again and again. Our War on Terror's Bush Doctrine is problematic because our mortal enemies do and will hide deep within human shield centers, with CNN and UN observers documenting American "brutalities".

We are in for a costly long and bloody war of annihilation. Them or us. The last thing that Islam's leaders want is deomcracy. Would we be better off if Pan-Islam's war against us was motivated by their man on the street? Kings and presidents for life can fund these murderous attacks bleeding our innocents as our economy withers while our politicians make nice to these "men", our friends of the Religion of Peace. Who will die? It is them or us.

[harpseal]

"Some of this combat can be quite violent for short periods," the manual says, adding that to avoid civilian casualties such combat would involve "the conscious acceptance by U.S. forces of the need to focus and sometimes restrain the combat power used."

Make it quite clear that no retraint on the combat power to be employed will exist after a suitable period for the non-combatants to evacuate. Once that period has expired then anything that moves or lives is or stands an inch above the surrounding ground will be bombed or shelled prior to employing infantry. In short do not engage in fighting amidst standing houses drive over the rubble.

Big-city battles "can be casualty-intensive for both sides," the manual says. Fighting would be on the squad and platoon level, with young lieutenants and sergeants forced to make grim decisions on their own, with radio links to commanders limited by buildings and power lines.

Now if there are no buildings standing and no power lines these problems disappear.

The enemy might use human shields, and the risk of civilian deaths must be "balanced with mission accomplishment and the requirement to provide force protection," the manual says.

Anyone using a human shield should be executed even if captured. Such action is a clear war crime and should be treated as such. Needless to say we should not withhold fire because of human shields.

Stay well - Stay safe -stay armed - Yorktown

[section9]

There's something else.

I think we're going to try a neat, underhanded trick.

Iraqis who surrender will get a "bonus" of a couple of hundred dollars. It will be chaotic, but they are notoriously ill-paid and we could make whole corps disappear if we put the word out that we were giving 300.00 in bounty to each Iraqi who surrendered.

In U.S. currency, of course.

Officers who lead their units across get a thousand dollar bonus. Division and Corps commanders get a Swiss bank account with a king's ransom and a new Mercedes.

By the time we get to Baghdad, they'll be coming over in droves.

But we cannot let the Kurds and the Marsh Arabs take Baghdad. Paybacks are a bitch and you don't want a bunch of mass killings to scare the locals. After twenty years of war, Baghdad needs a break. A bunch of crazed, vengeful peshmergha running through the streets, looting and raping, would not be in our interests.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think you're on to something.

[swarthyguy]

If your're right, it will be the biggest deception since the DoubleCross system and then the Calais/Normandy strategm. Grin:))

[finnman69]

One of many Baghdad-Stalingrad comparisons to be coming from the leftist surrender monkeys.

GIMME A BREAK.

[bigdog]

You're sooooo right.

We don't know what we don't know.

Personally, I can't wait to be surprised.

[Timocrat]

Here's the plan:

1. Establish air superiority over the rest of Iraq - Est time of completion two days after the start.

2. Secure all oil fields - ETC 7 days. Special forces and paras initally then armoured brigades.

3. In the meantime use just developed EMI bombs to neutralise the infrastructure in Bagdad.

4. "Turn" as many Iraqi army units as possible to use to secure urban areas. Special forces and air force to hunt scuds having made known to the Iraqi army that any use of WMD's will render invalid all claims for humane treatment.

5. In the case of protracted resistance - which will not be of any size - isolate the pockets and let the New Iraqi Army do the grunt work backed up by US/British special forces.

6. Keep all reporters in the bar of the Kuwait City Hilton until all scenes of devestation have been sanitised - any tender minds who don't appreciate war is a dirty business should not be disabused of that notion.

7. Impose a US drafted constitution ( A la Japan) on the country which looks an awful lot like the Turkish constitution. ( No more Arab "strongmen" in office for life). Outlaw extreme religions which seek to establish a theocracy.

[3k9pm]

You want this to end quick??

Surround the place, set up the loud speakers, and pipe in the Streisand music.

That crap will end the seige of Baghdad in a few short hours.
Hell, stupid's own people will kill him to stop the pain.